When the Planet Speaks
by ohxasphyxiationx
Summary: That disconcerting, wary feeling followed Aerith, constantly reminding her that even though she was unaware, her life had changed forever.


_Pairing: Implied Zerith, Zack/Aerith.  
Timeline: Takes place at the end of CC.  
Spoiler Warning: Contains Crisis Core spoilers.  
Summary: That disconcerting, wary feeling followed Aerith, constantly reminding her that even though she was unaware, her life had changed forever.  
Warnings/Rating: Character death/Rated T for character death._**  
**

**Disclaimer: The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me but are the property of Square Enix and all rightful owners. I make no profit from the creation on this story. Situations do belong to me and duplication is prohibited without consent. The lyrics from the song, **_**Cue the Sun! **_**by Daphne Loves Derby belong to all rightful owners.**

**A/N: After hearing the chorus of **_**Cue the Sun!**_** It seemed really fitting, something Zack would tell Aerith if he had the chance. Based off the ending of Crisis Core, but fixed in a way that I'd have liked things to play out, or imagine they would have if it had been shown. I know it doesn't match up to the story of FFVII, but this is fanfiction. It doesn't have to. Call it AU if you want.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

The Planet spoke to Aerith often, and most of the time she wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

This time, however, Aerith understood exactly what the Planet was saying as light faded to darkness and a terrible storm began: something awful had happened, something had gone terribly wrong. That disconcerting, wary feeling followed Aerith throughout the day, constantly nagging her, reminding her that even though she was unaware, her life had changed forever. Her heart ached terribly for reasons she did not know, and her inability to ignore those weird emotions frustrated her even further.

Her heart practically stopped when a man wearing a crisp blue suit with long, cascading black hair walked into her church, standing at the door. She had spotted him a few times before, inconspicuously following behind her, and was certain she could remember Zack speaking to him once.

It was then that she knew. She knew why this man had come. How could she have been so clueless? She had never seen anyone with such a serious expression. The realization made her heart clench, ache worse than it had moments before, and she could do nothing as her legs gave out beneath her and she fell on her knees amongst her precious flowers. The tears that were now escaping blurred her vision in a way that the flowers no longer held any beauty.

The man moved carefully, kneeling beside her, a hesitant hand resting on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort that did very little. She wanted to look at him, ask if it was true, but she couldn't bring herself to- not with the hiccupping sobs that were making it hard for her to breathe.

"The last living Cetra," the man said, mostly speaking to himself. "I should have assumed that you would already know.

She nodded, a small, sad thing, but refused to meet his stare. She just continued to stare at the warped images of flowers- tried to decipher daisies from lilies and chrysanthemums, to little avail.

"I thought I should come here and tell you, since I knew Zack personally," the man explained stoically. "I did everything I could to try and save Zack, but it was out of my hands. I was trying to bring him back safely, so he could read all of your letters."

At this, Aerith turned to face him, staring at him accusingly. In his hands he held a box full of her letters, which she rudely snatched away, picking up a stack in her hands and staring at them forlornly. Zack had never read a single one of these letters; he had died without knowing all the things she truly felt. With that thought, she dropped the letters as though they had burned her, continuing to glare at the man in front of her. His eyes softened, and he began digging in the pocket of his suit jacket in a way that was both frantic and strangely composed.

"I… got there too late," he admitted sadly, a flicker of emotion crossing his face before his stoic demeanor returned. "But I found him holding this. I think it was meant for you."

In between his fingers was a thin scrap of paper, frayed around the edges. It was slightly crinkled- from the rain, she assumed- and the neat writing on it was slightly smeared, but still legible. Afraid of what it might say, Aerith plucked it gently from his grip with trembling fingers. With a deep breath to steady herself, she began to read.

_And if I don't come home tonight, just know I tried my best to fight.  
Please don't think I plan to lose to the night._

_Zack_

It was with those words that Aerith knew he had suffered greatly, and her heart broke even more than she ever thought imaginable.

But she couldn't help but feel slightly better, feel more at peace knowing that even through his suffering he had continued to fight. And all along, all this time that she had been waiting and alone, he had been fighting his way back to her. He had never meant to leave, never meant to abandon her, and had done his best to get back to her, and even though it only made things harder, she was able to smile a small smile.

Maybe he didn't need to read her letters. He had felt the same way she did. He had tried to find his way back home to her.

Perhaps… he had already known.

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**I thought the Zerith love in CC was so cute. I've been meaning to right something about them for a while, but I didn't want to butcher their innocent and loving relationship. I hope I haven't with this.**

**Reviews are appreciated, since this is really my first venture into this pairing. =) **


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